


An Old Memory

by Rogue_Vulpes



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Female My Unit | Kamui | Corrin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 16:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogue_Vulpes/pseuds/Rogue_Vulpes
Summary: Silas and Corrin were always meant to be, but one event long ago threatened to split them apart forever.





	An Old Memory

‘C’mon Silas! I wanna see the top!’ Corrin scrambled up the slope on all fours, oblivious to the grass stains that colored her skirt and palms. She stopped for a moment, looking behind to see her friend climbing up a short ways behind her. Silas paused, panting slightly with the weight of the large bag slung over his back. 

‘How can someone so little have so much energy…’ he muttered, watching the young girl set off again. He shook his head and began clambering up the hill again. He was nearing the top when he heard a loud gasp. 

‘Silas, look! It’s so pretty!’ Silas grunted as he regained his footing. He dropped the bag to the ground and straightened up to see Corrin standing a few feet away, awestruck. All of Nohr was stretched out before them like a map. Castle Krakenburg stood most prominent, layered in dark clouds. The hill upon which they stood was one of the few places that was bathed in sunlight. 

‘You were right!’ Corrin bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, turning to her friend with stars in her eyes. ‘You can see everything from here!’ Silas smiled in spite of himself. Corrin’s happiness always came off a little contagious. 

‘Well, how about something to eat?’ Silas turned back to the bag, sitting down in the grass as he opened it. Corrin sat down opposite him and began pulling at her shoes. Tossing them aside, she stood again and let out a contented sound, enjoying the grass between her toes. It felt so different, so much better than the cold stone floors she was used to. 

‘Look at you,’ Silas couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Your sister’s gonna throw a fit when she sees how dirty you are.’

‘Camilla’s nice!’ Corrin dropped back down into the grass. ‘She’d never be mean to me.’ 

Silas passed Corrin her lunch before digging in himself. For a while the two were silent, save for the sounds of chewing and occasional word. Before long, Silas was packing the remains into his bag, and Corrin flopped down on her back with a happy sigh. 

‘Thanks Silas. I don’t want you to get in trouble, but thanks for doing this for me.’ 

‘Of course!’ Silas lay down beside his friend in the grass, staring up at the clouds with his hands folded behind his head. 

‘Silas?’

Hm?’

‘What do you wanna be when you grow up?’

‘That’s easy!’ The boy climbed to his feet, brushing the grass from his pants. ‘I’m gonna be a knight! A great knight to protect the royal family!’ Corrin giggled as she sat up.   
‘You’re so little though! Besides, I’ve never heard of an eight-year-old knight.’

‘I’ll get bigger!’ Silas declared. He reached down and picked up a stick lying at his feet, brandishing it in an arc. ‘I’ll have a great sword, and a noble horse! And I’ll be the best knight ever!’ Silas went red in the face as he turned to see Corrin stifling a laugh. ‘I will!’

‘I believe you,’ Corrin shifted to her knees as she spoke. ‘And when you do, I’ll make you my retainer! Then we can have picnics all the time!’   
‘Deal!’ Silas tossed his stick aside as he sat. ‘What about you?’

‘Me?’ Corrin looked slightly startled. ‘I just want to travel the world. I hear there’s all sorts of strange things out there. I want to see them all! Dragons and strange people and even Kitsune!’

Now it was Silas’ turn to laugh. ‘Kitsune aren’t real! Just in the stories.’

‘Are so!’ Corrin stuck out her chin defiantly. ‘Xander said so! He said they live in the Hoshidan mountains.’

‘No way,’ Silas shook his head. He dropped his gaze to the grass, studying the flowers sprouting up. After a moment, he reached out and plucked one. Corrin went slightly red as he presented it to her. 

‘Well, when you do go find them, you have to take me with you,’ He said. Corrin smiled, slightly embarrassed. ‘It’s a promise.’

For a long time, the two were silent, siting side by side and listening to the sounds of nature. Corrin couldn’t help but feel a little sad as she looked over the kingdom, trying to take in as much as possible. Before long she would be back in the castle, forbidden to set foot outside the grounds once again. 

‘Silas?’ Corrin finally spoke. 

‘What is it?’

‘We’ll always be friends, right?’

‘Of course!’ Silas said confidently. ‘No matter what, we’ll always be friends!’

‘Thank you,’ Corrin smiled sadly, trying to convince herself. She let out a small sigh as she stood. ‘We should get back. If they find out I’m missing we’ll be in big trouble.’   
Silas nodded in agreement, trying not to let his disappointment show. He stood and slung the bag over his back as Corrin slipped her shoes back on. They walked down the hill together, the setting sun to their backs. Both wished that the day wouldn’t end, but both knew what would happen if it didn’t. 

The sun had nearly vanished behind the mountains when the pair came creeping up through the castle gardens. The servant’s entrance was set into a side wall, and Felicia always had a habit of forgetting to lock it at night. Up close, Castle Krakenburg looked dark and foreboding. 

‘C’mon,’ Corrin whispered in the semi-darkness. ‘We’re almost-’

‘Well, if it isn’t our little princess!’ a harsh tone made both children jump. A pale face, half concealed behind a mask, suddenly emerged from the shadows. There was a flurry of activity as several guards clad in Nohrian armor appeared seemingly from nowhere. Corrin let out a cry of pain as Iago’s claw-like hand gripped her arm like a vice, pulling her back. Two of the guards grabbed Silas by the shoulders, forcing the boy to his knees as the third drew his sword. 

‘NO!’ Corrin cried, tears flooding her eyes as she saw the steel glinting in the moonlight. ‘Iago, don’t!’ 

‘Kidnapping the princess,’ Iago paid no mind to the young girl as he spoke, malic in his voice. ‘A crime punishable by death. Whatever would our king say…?’

‘Iago, stop!’ Corrin twisted and writhed, trying desperately to free herself. ‘Silas, run!’ Silas struggled as hard as he could, but the young boy was no match for two fully-grown men in armor. 

‘Stop it! I order you!’ Corrin screamed. ‘I am your princess! LET HIM GO!’ Iago pulled her back again, snarling as Corrin sunk her teeth into his hand. 

‘Little brat!’ The tactician turned and slapped the girl across the cheek, sending her sprawling in the grass before turning to the guards. ‘Go on, get on with it.’ The guard nodded and raised his blade to deliver the blow. 

‘Iago!’ A voice suddenly echoed from the open doorway to the castle, bringing the scene outside to a standstill. ‘What is the meaning of this!?’ 

Although only a teenager, Xander already held an air of authority to him befitting the position of crown prince. He stood framed in the doorway, still in his day clothes. Despite his young age, the prince still cut an impressive figure. Behind him stood a young Camilla in her nightdress, looking aghast at the scene before her. Beside her, Leo stood sleepily rubbing his eyes, one fist clenched tight on his sister’s dress. In Camilla’s arms was a small bundle of blankets, where an infant Elise lay sleeping soundly. 

‘My prince!’ Iago exclaimed with exaggerated politeness. ‘So sorry to disturb you, but you’ll be pleased to hear I’ve located the kidnapper who dared steal away our beloved princess.’

‘That’s not true!’ Corrin scrambled to her feet and ran to her brother, her cheek still stinging. ‘It was my fault! I made him sneak me out, it was all my idea! Please big brother, don’t let them kill him!’ Xander put an arm around Corrin as she broke down in tears again. Camilla made a noise of sympathy behind them.

‘You’ve overstepped, Iago,’ Xander stepped forward to face the tactician. He was nearly as tall as Iago now. ‘You have no right to kill this boy!’

‘I have every right! This brat kidnapped our princess-’

‘And our princess is now returned safe and sound!’ Xander interrupted him. ‘Furthermore, she ordered you not to harm him. You are bound by oath to obey the royal family, are you not? And to make matters worse, you hit her! You actually dared to strike a member of the royal family! Is not the punishment for that also death?’

A dark look crossed Iago’s face. ‘Your father would see things differently, boy. He is not so forgiving.’

‘Then I would speak to him myself about this matter,’ the price retorted. He turned to the guard still standing blade in hand. ‘Tell my father I wish to speak to him immediately.’ The guard nodded quickly and hurried off. 

Iago snarled. ‘Fine. Bring the boy. The king will settle this matter.’ He turned and set off toward the castle steps, the two guards dragging Silas behind him.

‘No!’ Corrin cried, starting after them. Xander caught her before she could give chase. ‘Big brother, you can’t let them do this! You know how father is; he’ll have him killed for sure!’

‘Hush now,’ Xander held his sister close and stroked her hair. ‘I’ll take care of it. Go up to your room with Camilla, It’ll be alright.’

‘Come along, dear,’ Camilla reached out with her free hand. Corrin hesitantly accepted it and walked inside with her siblings, her neck craned around to watch Xander set off toward the throne room. 

The three walked through the castle in silence, except for Leo’s yawns and Corrin’s sniffles. Camilla deposited Corrin in her quarters with a stern warning not to move, then left to return Leo and Elise to their beds. She arrived back a few minutes later with a washcloth and a bowl of warm water in her hand, finding Corrin exactly where she had left her, sitting on the bed in her grass-stained dress. 

‘Come now, let’s get you out of those dirty clothes,’ Camilla’s soothing voice hardly reached Corrin’s ears, but she didn’t protest as Camilla dressed her in her nightgown, laying out her dirty clothes for the maids to wash the next day. 

‘Now then, let me see that face.’ Corrin didn’t respond, just winced slightly as Camilla touched the wet cloth to her cheek. ‘That weasel, how dare he strike my dear sister!?’ Camilla snorted angrily, dabbing the cloth back into the bowl before returning it to Corrin’s cheek. ‘Father should have his head! I ought to take it myself!’ She continued on in this fashion for a while, but Corrin just sat in silence, staring into the darkness with hollow eyes. 

Finally, Camilla rose with a sigh. ‘You should get some sleep, dear. You don’t look well. Xander won’t let anything happen to your friend, don’t you worry.’ When no reply was forthcoming, Camilla sighed again and started toward the door. It wasn’t until she had reached it that she heard her sister’s voice.

‘I got him killed.’

‘What? Oh, dear, that’s not true!’ Camilla was back at Corrin’s side in a heartbeat, sitting beside her on the bed with an arm around her shoulders. 

‘I wanted to sneak out of the castle. Father never lets me leave. I just wanted to see something new. And now Silas is gonna die because of me.’ At these last words, the tears came again. Corrin could do nothing now but bury her face in Camilla’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Camilla held her sister close, gently stroking her hair and making reassuring noises. That was how the two stayed the night, Camilla cradling the crying Corrin in her arms as the hours ticked away. 

Finally, as the sun was peeking through the windows, there came a soft knock at the door. A moment later, Xander entered, looking very worn. Corrin didn’t stir, having cried herself into a restless sleep during the night. Camilla raised her gaze questioningly to meet her brother as he softly shut the door. 

‘He’s going to live,’ Xander said quietly sitting down on the bed beside his sister. ‘I was able to convince father not to take his head. But he’s been banished from the fortress. She’ll never get to see him again.’

‘Oh my…’ Camilla sadly dropped her gaze to the sleeping girl in her lap. ‘It’s going to break her poor little heart when we tell her.’

‘I know.’

‘It’s not fair, Xander!’ Camilla had to struggle not to raise her voice, so as not to wake Corrin. ‘All this over a picnic? You can’t blame the poor dear for wanting to get outside once in a while.’

‘You know why it has to be this way,’ Xander replied sternly. ‘You know we can’t-’

‘Then we should at least tell her why. She has a right to know!’

‘Maybe. But do you really want to be the one to tell her that her entire family has been lying to her for years?’

Camilla dropped her gaze again, brushing a strand of hair from Corrin’s face. It was a while before she next spoke. 

‘The truth will come out one day, Xander. And it’s going to destroy her when it does…’

*****

Corrin shifted slightly in the bed, still half asleep. She couldn’t see much in the semi-darkness of the room, only the moonlight that streamed through the window, reflecting off Yato’s gleaming hilt as it lay in the corner beside her armor. The only sound was Silas’ light breathing beside her. A sleepy smile lifted her lips as she lay her head back down on his chest, feeling him stir at her touch.

‘Are you alright? Did you have another nightmare?’

‘No,’ Corrin said, nuzzling at his neck with her cheek. He sighed and tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer under the blankets. She let out a quiet noise of contentment. Corrin knew that tomorrow would likely bring more bloodshed, but tonight she didn’t care. She wanted to stay in this bed, just the two of them, forever. 

‘Not a nightmare,’ Corrin whispered to the darkness, closing her eyes and listening to Silas’ heartbeat stirring in his chest. ‘Just an old memory…’


End file.
